


Regicide

by Wellwater41



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:07:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27843472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wellwater41/pseuds/Wellwater41
Summary: Ren Amamiya saw Shujin Academy as his escape, a way back to his old life.  He just had to play volleyball and keep his head low.  But as his friends begin to suffer under the rule of a corrupt king, how can Ren sit back and let injustice stand?  Especially when the keys to their salvation are practically dropped in his lap.  As the voice in his head urges him forward towards rebellion, Ren fights to uphold justice while keeping his own demons at bay.An AU retelling of Persona 5 through the first palace.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	1. Prologue

_ The night is dark and deathly quiet. There is no wind, no moon or stars, no lights in the nearby houses. There is nothing. _

_ The darkness is growing, lengthening into tendrils and claws that reach for him. He is being boxed in. He turns to run, scrambling as the shadows seek to trip him up. _

_ “Help,” a voice calls out, desperate. “Somebody, anybody help me!” _

_ He does not want to answer. He tries to run from it, but the sound comes from all around him. It grows louder, the pitch sharpening into a screech. _

_ They are upon him now, a woman battered and bleeding and a bald man with only hatred in his eyes. _

_ The woman does not see him. She is enraptured with the man even as he looks on her with disdain. He throws her to the ground. _

_ Ren takes an involuntary step forward, knowing it is a mistake. The man turns to him and sneers. As he does so, a cut appears on his forehead. Blood begins to drip down unnoticed, rivulets forming. Still the man’s attention is fixed on him. It flows faster, gushing out onto his crisp white dress shirt. His eyes turn red and more blood flows. _

_ He grows larger like some sort of bulky balloon, stretched and pinched in weird places. His visage turns black. He stretches and expands, towering over Ren. He threatens to block out the sky itself. _

_ A new pair of eyes open, wide and unblinking, and the monster gives a deep, guttural laugh. The sound echoes around him. _

_ It’s coming from inside Ren’s head. _

_ The creature strikes. _

Ren Amamiya shot up in a panic, face sweaty and gasping for breath. He whipped his head around wildly before recognizing he was back in his cell. He fought to bring his heart under control.

He took in his surroundings for the hundredth time in an effort to calm down.

Cracks on the ceiling that he had nearly memorized, chipped paint on the walls.

Metal bars across the door and window.

His own personal prison.

The juvenile detention center was supposed to help him become a functioning member of society again.

All it did was make him feel trapped.

Ren groaned as he dragged himself off the thin mattress that was too short for him. He lumbered over to the corner of his room that held his toilet and sink turned on the faucet, splashing water onto his face. It helped a bit.

Ren gripped the side of the porcelain sink tightly as he focused.

“Breathe,” he said in a low voice, “just breathe.”

It had become a personal mantra on the nights where his dreams woke him in a panic. Those came more often than not since the incident six months ago. They weren’t always the same. Sometimes it was exactly as it happened, sometimes the man had a gun or the police roughed him up before slapping on the cuffs. There were times like tonight where everything went weird. Whatever it was, Ren had spent more nights than not waking up in a cold weat.

_ You don’t deserve this _ , his mind supplied unbidden,  _ it isn’t fair _ .

Ren found himself agreeing with himself before shaking his head angrily. Ren had always had a strong conscience, his inner voice that told him what was right. He’d listened to it that night when trying to help that woman. But his moral compass had taken a serious beating lately, and he’d been forced to ignore it more often than not.

When he’d been a child, he’d wanted to be a superhero. It wasn’t the powers, or the costumes, it was because they made a difference. The best heroes always did the right thing. They fought for justice. And at the end of the story, the bad guy went to jail and the world was a better place. Ren had learned the hard way that life was not like that.

And now, when the other guys ganged up on one of the smaller kids to ‘teach him a lesson’ or whatever their excuse was, Ren had learned to walk away. When a guard got a little too friendly with a baton, Ren could keep his emotions to himself and let it happen. When someone taunted him, tried to provoke him, he’d learned to keep a blank face, betraying nothing. He would walk away while his sense of justice or his conscience or whatever it was seethed.

_ Coward, _ the voice added, and Ren couldn’t disagree.

But that was the reality of his life now. Through no fault of his own, he was a delinquent. His only hope was to keep his head low, get through the next year of probation unnoticed, and put it all behind him.

Ren gave a long sigh, his heart rate finally back to normal. He took in his appearance through the stained and scratched mirror above the sink. His face was thin, almost unnaturally so. He’d grown another inch or two recently, and he’d hardly had the appetite to keep up with it.

The last few months had been hard. He’d always been tall, but his growth spurt had put him head and shoulders above everyone else. Once the other boys had learned he had no interest in fighting back, they’d hardly left him alone. But at least he had a light at the end of the tunnel now.

The warden had called him into his office a few days ago. A school in Tokyo was allowing him to transfer there with a volleyball scholarship. The warden had given a whole speech about opportunity and rehabilitation, but Ren could see through all of that. He was a damn good player, that was the only reason he was getting this chance. He had to wonder what type of school recruited players from juvenile detention centers, but whatever it was like, it would be better than here.

Sleep would not be coming easily the rest of the night, so instead he moved to the center of his tiny cell, reaching up to grasp the metal beam near his ceiling. He pulled himself up and lowered himself slowly.

“One,” he counted out slowly before repeating the movement, “two.”

_ Shujin Academy, here I come, _ he thought determinedly.

The voice in his head started to laugh.

* * *

The slap of the soles of his shoes against the treadmill was like music in Ryuji Sakamoto’s ears. His stride wasn’t quite right, his leg giving him trouble like it always did. But it was something.

There was a time when he wouldn’t be caught dead running indoors at a gym. He would’ve missed the wind in his hair and the feeling of freedom that came with running outside. That’s what running was to him. It was freedom.

That bastard Kamoshida had taken away his freedom. Ryuji desperately wanted it back. And if he had to drag his gimpy leg a thousand miles on this gym’s old ass treadmill to do so, he would.

As if to mock him, his knee buckled and gave out, and it was only by grabbing onto the arms of the treadmill with both hands that he kept himself from being flung off. The emergency brake activated, slowing the belt to a crawl and then a stop.

As Ryuji pulled himself back to his feet, tenderly putting weight back onto his bad leg, he caught one of the guys lifting weight nearby shooting him a dirty look. Ryuji glared right back.

Whether it was the bleached hair or the ear piercings, Ryuji had been getting a lot of disapproving looks thrown his way lately. That was fine by him. Easier to avoid the shitty adults when they made themselves obvious.

Later, as he sat in the locker room with a bag of ice on his outstretched knee, Ryuji's thoughts once again revolved around Kamoshida.

Ryuji desperately wished for a chance to expose him for the scumbag he was. If he was given half a chance to bring that asshole to justice, he’d take it.

* * *

Ann Takamaki walked through the thinning crowds of Shujin Academy towards the gymnasium, dreading every step. But Suzui was waiting for her, and Ann would do anything for her best friend.

The eyes of other students seemed to follow her as she passed, and hushed conversations began as they always did. Ann forced herself to pretend they weren’t talking about her. And when that didn’t work, she pretended she didn’t know why they were looking.

Her modeling career had been growing steadily lately, bolstered by her social media following and a few magazine ads she’d worked. She could pretend that her fellow students recognized her from them.

There was always her appearance. Her blonde hair and her accent labeled her as a foreigner even if she spoke the language fluently. She was nowhere near as slim as most of the girls at her school, and while she was happy with the way she looked, it was just another thing that set her apart. Still, she’d take any and all of those reasons over the truth.

They saw her as Kamoshida’s girl. She hadn’t asked for her teacher’s attention, but the more that he pursued her the more ostracized she was becoming. It had started innocent enough.

He’d offered to drive her the rest of the way to school when he’d seen her waiting at a crosswalk one day. A part of her had even enjoyed the attention. He was practically a celebrity at Shujin, and he was an attractive man even if he was old enough to be her dad. Someone had seen her getting out of the coach’s car at school and the rumors had started.

Ann could handle rumors, she’d been doing so for quite awhile. She was pretty, and girls could be vicious when they were jealous. Combined with being the new girl at school several times and Ann had grown a thick skin.

But someone had given Kamoshida her phone number, and he’d been calling. It was innocent enough, offering to tutor her or drive her to school. But they all seemed to revolve around them being alone together, and he was so damn pushy. And as she turned him down time and time again, he just got worse. Now he was threatening to pull Shiho from the starting lineup.

He was always trying to talk to her at school even though there was nothing to talk about, and that just seemed to cement the rumors about them being together.

Ann hated it. She hated him, and she desperately wished there was something she could do. But who could she go to? Most of her teachers seemed to love the man. Her homeroom teacher was practically a zombie most days, and Principal Kobayakawi cared more about the volleyball team’s success than anything. Her parents were out of the country and nearly uninvolved in her life.

Something was going to give soon, Ann could feel it, and she dreaded it.

Her morose thoughts were interrupted as the doors to the gym opened in front of her. She couldn’t remember reaching them. She shied away for a moment, fearing the presence of a certain man, but her fears were unfounded and she gave a bright smile as her only friend came walking out.

“Hey Shiho,” Ann said brightly, “how was practice?”

“Tough,” Shiho admitted with a smile that was more of a grimace, “but good, I really feel like I’m earning my starting spot.”

“That’s great,” Ann hugged her friend but felt her tense at the contact.

“Sorry,” Shiho shook her head, “I’m just sore all over.”

“He’s not taking it any easier on you?” Ann raised an eyebrow. There was no need to clarify who they were talking about.

“No,” Shiho sighed, “but I can take it.”

“I wish you didn’t have to,” Ann said sympathetically.

There was a moment of silence as their moods dropped, and Ann desperately wished for a way to fix their situation. But until that happened, Ann just had to be strong.

“Come on,” Ann said cheerfully, “let’s go get something to eat, you need to keep your strength up.”

Shiho’s eyes brightened at the mention of food, and for a moment all was well. Shiho grabbed her hand and began to lead her out of the school, out into the light of the late afternoon sun.

Ann saw the sun flow around her friend’s silhouette as Shiho held her hand and Ann realized she’d do anything for Shiho.

* * *

Suguru Kamoshida sat in his office, hands steepled under his chin and mind awash with dark, twisted thoughts.

_This school is yours_ , the voice in his head whispered, _you’re the king, and they’re just lucky to be in your presence._

Kamoshida said nothing as he stared ahead. The voice in his head had been getting louder, but he couldn’t be bothered to worry. It spoke the truth.

_Those kids out there, they’re lucky to have you pushing them,_ it whispered reassuringly, _you’re only helping them. If they get hurt, they’ll learn to do better next time._

Kamoshida nodded to himself. That’s what it had been like for him as a kid, and look at him now. He was an olympic medalist. He was among the very best, and he deserved the rewards that came with that.

_The girls here should be falling all over themselves for you,_ the voice fed into his desires, _just like they used to._

Kamoshida squeezed his hands together until the knuckles popped.

_You just need to take what you want,_ the voice urged, _who’s going to stop you?_

Kamoshida’s eyes flashed gold, and a twisted smile grew on his face.


	2. Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren arrives in Tokyo and makes his first trip to Shujin Academy.

Ren trudge through the dusty streets of Yongen-Jaya, largely ignorant of the handfuls of people milling about the stalls and shops in the afternoon sun. His thoughts were focused on finding this ‘Sojiro Sakura’.

The warden had called him in early yesterday and given him some very frank information about how his time in Tokyo would go.

Shujin Academy would pay for his schooling, but the rest was up to him. He would need to find some work if he expected to pay for basic necessities like food.

“Fortunately,” the warden had said, “your parents have found you a place to say. An old friend of a friend owns a cafe and he’s agreed to put you up and keep an eye on you.”

Ren had done little more than raise an eyebrow at that, but in his mind he’d been incensed. He’d spoken to his parents exactly once since he’d been sent to juvie. They’d told him he’d be welcomed back into the family once his probation was over. Until then, he would be a stranger to them. It was cruel, and Ren had felt another piece of his innocence die with that call.

His father had always cared more about what others thought of him than he should. No doubt the man was glad he could tell people his son was at some fancy Tokyo school on a volleyball scholarship instead of rotting in a juvenile detention center. It rankled Ren to need his help, but he couldn’t afford to be too proud at the moment.

Which brought him to today, at the end of a one-way ticket to Tokyo and looking for a house on a street that didn’t have a name. Shibuya had been an experience: more people and noise than he’d ever experienced. Compared to that, this neighborhood was a ghost town. It felt like the neighborhood that time had forgotten.

Ren shook himself out of his musings. He was wasting time standing around. Instead, he looked around for someone to talk to.

A police officer stood nearby, but Ren discarded the idea quickly. Ever since the incident, cops made him nervous. An older man sat on an upturned milk crate, but Ren passed him by too.

_Don’t need to get sucked into a long-winded talk about yesteryear_ , Ren thought to himself.

A mother and her young daughter stood nearby, perusing a food stall. That seemed like the safest bet.

“Excuse me,” Ren said as he walked near, “do you know where I can find Sojiro Sakura?”

The woman turned to him, and Ren spotted the slight widening of her eyes as she took in his height. He gave the woman a reassuring smile, but the motion felt strange and Ren realized it had been months since he’d last smiled.

“Um, yes,” she said quickly, “his cafe is down the street just over there.”

She pointed back towards the station and Ren thanked her, ignoring the way she gripped her daughter’s arm tightly as if he was someone to be afraid of. As he turned, he caught a glimpse of himself in a store window. The smile he’d plastered on was more of a sneer than anything. He looked intimidating.

_Maybe no more smiling until you’ve practiced?_ He thought to himself morosely. _What a strange concept._

He really needed to be less noticeable, something that was difficult when you were so much taller than average. It would only be worse at school. He’d need something to make him look more unassuming.

As he walked towards the street with the cafe on it, he couldn’t help but notice the junk shop on the corner. He’d passed it by without thought on his arrival, but now he saw a table full of costume jewelry and sunglasses. There was a blocky pair with clear lenses that caught his eye.

He picked it up and put it on. No prescription, just clear glass. A slightly nerdy, completely unassuming face stared back at him from the small mirror set up on the table.

“How much for these?” Ren asked the old man quickly.

“Those?” The shop owner thought for a moment before replying. “Five hundred yen.”

Ren pulled out his wallet and opened it. He was surprised a moth didn’t fly out. A single hundred yen note was all that greeted him. It was worth a shot.

“Only got a hundred,” Ren said, showing the old man, “take it or leave it.”

“Yeah, fine,” the man shrugged, snagging the bill from Ren’s outreached hand. Ren wondered if the man would have taken even less.

Ren turned to leave, slouching a bit to hide his height. That would probably be something to get used to if he wanted to get by unnoticed for the year.

He found the cafe a few moment later tucked into the alley across from a bathhouse and a laundromat. It looked like it might have been nice at one point, but the faded sign and awning spoke of years of wear.

He pushed the door open slowly, stepping inside.

It was small but cozy inside. Warm light came from lamps in the ceiling, reflecting off the well-polished wood of a bartop and stools. A few customers sat in booths and an older man in a pink shirt stood behind the counter framed by dozens of containers filled with coffee beans.

“Hello,” Ren began as he walked towards the bar, “are you Sojiro Sakura?”

The man looked up with a bored expression that highlighted the sharp creases in his face.

“Oh, I guess that’s today,” the man muttered to himself, “Ren right? Well come on, let’s go upstairs to your room so you aren’t bothering the customers.”

Ren bit back a retort and instead followed the man towards a rickety set of stairs at the back of the shop. Every step brought a creak as they climbed the steep thin stairs.

The dusty attic was not what Ren had expected when Sojiro had called it his room.

“It’s… big,” Ren said offhandedly, and the older man snorted.

“You’ll need to clean it up a bit, but there’s a broom around here somewhere.”

Ren really wanted to tell the man that this hardly constituted a room, but there wasn’t much he could do about it anyways. He’d have to take what was offered.

“Thank you for letting me stay with you,” Ren said instead in a passable attempt at sincerity.

“Well, wasn’t my idea,” the man said sternly, “and you better not make any trouble while you’re here.”

“Yes sir,” Ren said through gritted teeth. The man didn’t seem to notice.

“I’ll leave you to clean up a bit, your parents shipped your clothes, they’re on one of the shelves. I’ve got to get back to my customers.”

The sound of creaking steps grew fainter and Ren was once again alone. For a brief moment, he felt the urge to cry. Or punch something. But instead, he pushed down the frustration and bitterness, buried it deep inside like he did everything else. He was getting better and better at it with experience.

He grabbed a broom and got to work.

A few hours later, and the room looked halfway decent. The dust levels were looking better and he’d cleared a path through to the ‘bed’, if you could call a thin mattress on some crates a bed. It wasn’t anything worse than the one he’d been sleeping in the last six months.

“Wow,” a voice called out from the landing of the stairs. Ren hadn’t even heard him coming. “You were actually cleaning.”

“Yes Mr. Sakura,” Ren said with hardly a hint of sarcasm.

_Somebody had to_ , he thought to himself

“Call me boss,” the man shrugged, “that’s what everyone else does. There’s some extra curry downstairs, you’re welcome to it.”

“Alright boss,” Ren said slowly. Maybe the man was warming up to him. “Thanks.”

The man led him downstairs. Ren had to duck his head to keep it from catching the overhang above the stairs.

The cafe was empty now, and Ren got the feeling it had been for a while now. That meant his new guardian had made him dinner. Ren said as much as he slid onto a barstool.

“Don’t get used to it,” the man said sharply, “I just didn’t want you starving on my watch. You’ll have to find your own way to pay for meals from now on.”

Ren nodded grimly. If that was how it had to be, so be it. But Sojiro gave a sigh and looked at him with something approaching sympathy.

“Look, I know you’re in a tough spot,” the man said as he slid a plate piled high with rice and curry towards him. “One slip up and you’re back where you came from.”

“I know,” Ren said lowly as he began to eat. It was delicious. He started shoveling it into his mouth.

“Slow down, no one’s going to take it from you,” Sojiro joked. “Anyways, you know you’ll need to get a job to pay for food and stuff like that. But I’ll try and help you out where I can. The important thing is you need to keep your nose clean. You won’t get the benefit of the doubt at Shujin.”

“That’s the plan,” Ren said through bites of food. “I’m just here to play volleyball and keep my head down. I just want to get through my probation and go home.”

“Good to hear. Now, we have to go to Shujin tomorrow.”

We do?” Ren asked.

“You’ll need to meet your teachers before class on Monday,” Sojiro said with a grunt, “I hate closing the shop on a Sunday, it’s one of my busiest days.”

“You don’t have to come with me if you don’t want,” Ren shrugged, “if it’s just to introduce myself I can do that without you.”

“You sure?” Sojiro raised an eyebrow.

“Sure thing boss,” Ren nodded, “I have to figure out the subway system anyway, might as well do it on the weekend.”

“Alright, thanks,” Sojiro nodded. “And here, let me give you a bit of money until you can find yourself a job.”

The older man handed over a small stack of bills and Ren’s eyes widened.

“Thank you,” Ren said honestly.

“Well, when that runs out don’t expect any more,” the man said sternly, “I don’t make it a habit of giving guys money.”

Ren didn’t have a response to that, so he focused on his food. His new guardian’s opinion of him was definitely complicated.

“I’m going to head home, make sure you wash that dish when you’re done with it.” Sojiro grabbed his hat and the pack of smokes by the register, “I’ll be locking you in here, so don’t do anything stupid.”

Ren finished his curry slowly, washing the dish quietly in the sink behind the bar. He slipped upstairs and into his pajamas and was out like a light.

* * *

Shujin Academy was nestled in between tall apartment buildings. In fact, it was the shortest building on the block. But to Ren, it looked like it towered above him. There was something ominous about it that went beyond his nerves.

He tugged lightly on the pressed collar of the school issue turtleneck. It reminded him of a noose for a moment.

Ren pushed through the metal gate and made his way towards the front door. It was time to convince everyone just how harmless he could be.

The principal’s office was on the first floor, which struck Ren as unusual until he knocked on the door and entered.

Inside was one of the roundest human beings Ren had ever seen.

_Humpty Dumpty had a great fall_ , he thought before stifling that train of thought quickly. It was time to be serious.

“Principal Kobayakawa?” Ren bowed deep, “I am Ren Amamiya. I’m here to introduce myself to you and the faculty.”

“Ah yes,” the man said with a nod. It made his chin shake. “Our newest recruit. I trust you know why you’re here?”

Ren wasn’t sure what to say to that, whether they were speaking frankly or not, but the principal did not seem to need a response.

“You’re here by my request to help our volleyball team.”

“Yes sir,” Ren added in, “I will do my best.”

“See that you do,” the principal nodded, “if I feel you aren’t putting forth the effort, I’ll have no problem sending you right back where you came from.”

The man stood from his chair, leaning forward and fixing Ren with what he assumed was an attempt at an intimidating glare. Ren pretended to be lightly cowed.

“If there’s even a whisper of any… behavioral problems, rest assured you will be out of here before you can even blink,” the man said fiercely. Ren didn’t have to fake the stab of fear in his heart.

“Now,” Principal Kobayakawa sat back down, “Let me call your homeroom teacher and your new coach so that you can introduce yourself.”

He picked up the phone and typed a few numbers in with pudgy fingers.

“Kawakami,” the principal said sternly, “our new student is here, please come to my office so that he can introduce himself.”

The principal hung up without a goodbye and typed in another set of numbers.

“Kamoshida? I have your new recruit here in my office if you’d like to come meet him,” the principal said in a considerably more pleasant tone. “What? Oh, of course, that makes sense. I’ll send him your way soon.”

As the principal hung up the phone, Ren heard the door open behind him. A woman walked in. A messy hairstyle and dark bags under her eyes made her look like she’d been asleep or needed to be.

“Hello, I am Ren Amamiya,” Ren said again, bowing as she went to stand next to the principal.

“Are you sure he has to be in my class?” The woman, Kawakami, said to the principal. She made no sign that she’d heard Ren’s greeting.

“Yes, I’m afraid so,” Kobayakawa said, “you’re the only second year teacher with an open spot.”

“Fine,” she sighed, finally turning to acknowledge him, “Amamiya, meet me at the faculty offices tomorrow before class starts and I’ll introduce you to class.”

“Yes ma’am,” Ren said dutifully.

“Don’t cause any trouble,” she said harshly before she left the room.

_Bitch_ , the voice in his head whispered and Ren couldn’t disagree.

“Now,” Principal Kobayakawa clapped his hands, “you’ll need to go to the P.E. office to meet with Kamoshida. It’s up on the third floor at the end of the hall. Can you find your way?”

Ren got the distinct feeling that this was not a question he could answer no to, so he nodded.

“Good,” the principal nodded, “off you go then, and remember, I’m expecting you to help our volleyball team or you’re out of here.”

Ren chose to interpret that as encouragement instead of a threat. It made it easier to not react as he left the man’s office.

The journey up to the third floor was uneventful. The halls were large and slightly daunting, but thankfully he did not run into anyone. He made his way towards the coach’s office with a faint glimmer of hope that this introduction might go a bit better.

He knocked on the door and heard the call of ‘enter’ from within.

He pushed the door open slowly. A single man sitting at a computer turned and stood..

For the first time in a long while, Ren had to look up to meet someone’s eyes.

This man was huge. At least six and a half feet, probably more, and as wide as a fridge.

“You must be Ren,” the man said with a relaxed smile, “I’m Kamoshida, your new coach. Why don’t you close the door and grab a seat.”

Ren felt himself relax slightly as he did. The man seemed friendly enough, and it was a welcome change.

“Sorry to drag you up here,” the man chuckled, “but I wanted to talk to you athlete to athlete.”

“It’s no problem at all sir,” Ren said politely.

“Let me tell you a little bit about myself,” Kamoshida said kindly, “just so you can understand me better.”

Ren could only nod. The man’s good mood was contagious.

“I’ve been playing volleyball all my life, and I’m pretty good. Even won a bronze medal for it at the olympics.”

“Wow,” Ren said, impressed, “I didn’t know that sir.”

“Well, I don’t like to brag,” Kamoshida said, “but I’ve only been a coach for a few years now. And I’m happy to say that I’ve been able to do some great things with the teams here.”

Kamoshida stood at this, walking towards a bulletin board with team photos tacked to it.

“The girls team has a good shot of making it to nationals this year,” Kamoshida said conversationally, “but the boys team just hasn’t been quite up to the task.”

Ren nodded. It made sense why they’d want to bring in new players then.

“Principal Kobayakawa was the one to suggest bringing you in. I saw some of your tapes, you’re very good.”

Ren rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. He had a lot of pride in himself, but it was still strange to receive such a direct compliment.

“I was against it at first,” Kamoshida shrugged apologetically, “bringing in delinquents to bolster our team? It felt a little disrespectful to the guys on the team who’ve been working so hard already.”  
The coach turned back towards Ren, crossing his arms lightly.

“But it wasn’t my say,” Kamoshida shrugged again, “and the principal was really set on bringing you in.”

Ren waited quietly for the man to continue.

“You’ve put me in a bit of a rough spot,” Kamoshida said slowly, his smile fading into a coolly neutral look. “See, if you come in and help us, that just makes you and the principal look good, and we can’t have that.”

Ren felt his heart begin to sink.

“But I can’t just kick you out of here,” Kamoshida explained slowly, “so I’ve come up with a compromise.”

The man seemed to tower above Ren, looking down on him with cold eyes.

“You’ve been in juvie for awhile,” Kamoshida said slowly, “no doubt your conditioning has suffered. So you’ll need extra practice before school and after our normal practice. Hopefully that will do it.”

The man gave Ren a cruel smile.

“I am going to run you into the ground,” Kamoshida said darkly, his voice low and threatening, “I am going to make you wish you’d never come to this school. I’ve already told my team that there’s a criminal coming to try and take one of their spots.”

Any hope that Ren had of keeping a low profile died with those words. Kamoshida had basically painted a target on his back.

“All you have to do to make it stop is quit,” Kamoshida said slowly, “tell the principal you want to go back to where you came from.”

“I’ll… I’ll tell him what you’re doing,” Ren argued weakly. His voice sounded pathetic in his own ears.

Kamoshida’s whole demeanor changed, morphing back into the bright, friendly face it had been a few moments ago.

“I don’t think anyone would believe you,” Kamoshida said pleasantly, and Ren could see just how trapped he was. “Be here tomorrow, two hours before classes start.

Ren stood slowly, still in a state of shock.

“You don’t look like a quitter,” Kamoshida said slowly, “so I’m sure you’ll give it your best shot. But I’ve been doing this a long time, and I really know how to make it hurt.”

Ren didn’t dare dwell on those words as he hightailed it out of the office. He was practically running by the time he made it to the train station, his heart racing wildly.

He sagged against a nearby wall, sinking down to the ground as he fought to catch his breath. It was a long time before he felt strong enough to stand.

He elected to walk home, hoping the fresh air would help him pretend he wasn’t trapped once again. He would find out later that evening that it was only this choice that had saved his life when the conductor lost his mind and crashed the train.

As he lay in bed that night, he wondered darkly if that wouldn’t have been the easier fate.

His dreams were filled with prison cells and chains, and a demon made of fire and darkness that laughed with Ren’s own voice. When he awoke all he could remember were a pair of golden eyes.

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a short opening to introduce the major characters. Stay tuned for the first real chapter.


End file.
